Rectangle or Oblong ?

[Ruthierhyme]

Which of these two do you use most frequently or do you use both ?

we debate this one a lot at work, school prefer oblong

but we do tend to do both

From being a small child I have only EVER used rectangle! Thats all I ever use with the children!

We had this debate with uni once... if you notice... only the word rectangle is used in any 'official' documents we recieve from government/ofsted/other 'big bods'. We were advised to stick with rectangle because of this!

Also.... I wish the world would make its mind up and stick to one thing!! How confusing is it for a child who is learning shape names to be told rectanlge by one person and oblong by another??

I think its REALLY important as a setting to discuss this and make a decision as to which you will use and then stick to it!!

Personally for me.... its rectangle every time! :soapbox::blush::rotfl: :sorry:

[cabin]

This has now started 'heated' to say the least- debate in our household!!!!! I have a funny feeling that I was once told that a retangle's short 'side' is exactly half the longer side, everything else is an 'oblong' HOWEVER I may have just made this up in my memory---- I tend to have a habit doing this!!!!!!!!!! If I like the sound of something I can somehow manage to convince myself [i]and[i] others that it's true!

xxx

I have always been told that a rectangle is a four sided shape where all four of its angles are right angles. From this it follows that a rectangle has two pairs of parallel sides so a rectangle is a parallelogram.
A square is a special kind of rectangle where all four sides have equal length.
A rectangle that is not a square is known as an oblong.

Hence what is being discussed is actually an Oblong as a rectangle is any four sided shape with 4 90degree angles, which incloudes a square!!

I hope that makes it clear as mud!!

[Miss Muffet]

Huh?

yes I know...simply.

a rectangle can be ANY 4 sided shape with 90 degree angles..including a square ...

but an oblong has 2 long sides and 2 shorter ones

As explained by local schools (and a son with A level maths)

Mad isn't it - I was told it was an oblong as a small child and then went to school was told that it was a rectangle (which is what my son is taught at nursery)

Then there are rhombuses (rhombi?) to throw into the muddle as well!

Four sided shapes are tricky aren't they!